"Yahoo!" With a swift movement, Hector swung his blade and sliced a goblin's head clean off.
[You have received a green-mana core.]
"Yahsahshdahsh!" A nearby goblin screamed a warning to its fellows and lunged at Hector.
However, before it could close the distance, the tip of Hector's sword pierced straight through its belly. The goblin groaned in pain before collapsing.
[You have received a green-mana core.]
Some of the nearby goblins began to panic as they watched their comrades die one after another. With a shrill command from a goblin leader, the rest of the horde scattered in every direction to escape Hector's slaughter.
"Damn… that was pretty embarrassing. Next time, I won't yell while fighting anymore." Hector slowly walked over to a rock to take a break and quickly summoned his system screen.
[Title]: The blasphemer of the god
[Name]: Hector Jenkins
[Age]: 17
[Mana Core Color]: Green
[Count mana cores]:1–[100/200]
[Innate Stats]
Strength: F- → F
Agility: E- → E
Vitality: E- →E
Charm: F-
Luck: G-
[Blessing]:[Divine Mimicry][Divine Transmutation][Swordcraft of Infinite Evolution][Shadow Stepwork][Brutal Martial Art]
[Curse]: [Blasphemer's Burden]
[Color Slot]:
"It's pretty good. At least I've got some motivation when I see my stats improving."
He rubbed his chin while checking his innate stats. A full day had already passed since he had secretly left the academy to enter a green dungeon. He only had a few days left to boost his stats and skills before the second round of the competition began.
Because he had already changed the fate of this so-called villain, he wasn't sure what kind of enemy he might face next. That was why his top priority was improving this damn, pathetic body.
"Guess once I get two mana cores, my stats will be around an ordinary person's level. Most students probably have innate stats at C or above."
"Still, my luck and charm are terrible… Those aren't things you can just train. They're innate."
"Maybe some kind of blessing could change that."
Hector let out a bored sigh. But just a second later, he suddenly frowned as he heard a noise coming from the north.
"Who else could be out here?"
Instinctively, Hector stood up and followed the source of the sound.
Soon enough, he saw what had caught his attention.
Carl and Violet? They were clearing out a horde of goblins. Huh… he hadn't expected their relationship to progress this far. Before long, they'd probably become a couple—at least, according to what he remembered from the novel.
"Tch. I should follow them and grab a slice of their cake. After all, the main plot always sticks to them."
Adjusting his tone and stance, he stepped out from the bushes and greeted them.
"Are you stalking us? Scum." Carl scowled, his voice openly hostile.
Meanwhile, Violet stayed silent, looking at him lazily, as if she had already sensed Hector's presence long before.
Hector quickly shook his head and said,
"Of course not. I'm not that kind of person, you know… Uh, I just… happened to see you guys while killing some goblins. When I saw you, I thought… Maybe we should team up to clear the dungeon. One extra person—things would be more relaxed for you guys, right?"
Carl's frown deepened after hearing that. He never thought he'd hear something like this from a scum. It wasn't like him at all.
Whatever. Of course, Carl was about to refuse instantly—there was even a flash of murderous intent in his mind.
"Should I kill you here?"
But his face froze when Violet nodded and said,
"Good! If you want… just keep your distance, stay out of my way."
…
Hector clicked his tongue, trying to hide his smile. Well, just as he thought. That was exactly what the FMC's personality was like—a cold, confident, and rational girl. After all, he had only told the truth.
Meanwhile, the MC was quite pathetic… and brainless.
He gritted his teeth and glared at Hector, even though he had obediently nodded to Violet earlier… like a stupid pet.
Around six hours later.
[Title]: The blasphemer of the god
[Name]: Hector Jenkins
[Age]: 17
[Mana Core Color]: Green
[Count mana cores]:2–[0/1000]
[Innate Stats]
Strength: F → F+
Agility:E
Vitality: E
Charm: F-
Luck: G-
"It's strange… Maybe… this body is weaker than I thought." Hector sighed as he looked at his stats. They were terrible, even though he had already reached two mana cores.
"Well. I should learn to accept this weak body." Hector glanced at Carl and Violet, who were still fighting goblins and orcs. Luckily for him, following them had been a clever decision. He had indeed faced many goblins along the way, allowing him to reach two mana cores sooner than he had expected.
Moreover, he had learned some precious information about protagonists's power.
With five green mana cores, Violet was incredibly strong, nearly invincible even without using her blessing—the blessing of the War God.
What made Hector frown, however, was Carl's power. With three green mana cores.
"How could he be this strong? I stole his cheat… there's no way he should be like this."
He rubbed his chin in thought.
"Perhaps the butterfly effect has started to appear… I must stay alert if I want to survive."
Soon, they cleared the remaining monsters in the dungeon and arrived at the final area. However, all three of them frowned when they saw a man standing there, as if he had been waiting for them all along.
"Hello… I've been looking for you… child of the War God." The man, in his twenties, chuckled as he stepped forward.
"Let me introduce myself. I'm a demon worshipper. You can call me… Jack."
Hector scowled as he gauged the man's power.
"This is bad—seven green mana cores… we're no match for him."
Violet stared at the man coldly for a moment before speaking to Hector and Carl.
"Leave. Both of you… he's here for me, not you."
Carl smiled and said confidently,
"Don't worry, Violet… leave him to me. I've just received a new power. I—"
Bang!
In the blink of an eye, Hector saw the man right beside him. Meanwhile, Carl was sent flying across the ground, crashing into a rock before passing out.
"You talk too much, little brat!"
The man smirked and shot Hector a cold, disdainful, mocking look.
"And you second!"
Bang!